Chapter 659: Five Paths

Han Li withdrew his gaze, a thought stirring in his mind.

Judging by the looks of Feng Qingyuan and the other two, they didn't seem to have sensed the fluctuation of time law coming from ahead?

If the three were all putting on an act, it was far too convincing; he couldn't spot a single flaw.

"It seems there are more buildings ahead, but we haven't thoroughly searched the palace we just passed through. How do you all plan to proceed? Move forward, or return to the palace to continue exploring?" asked the burly man Ren Hao, looking at the other three.

Han Li and the others remained silent, but their gazes all turned forward.

"Hehe, it seems great minds think alike. In that case, let's continue forward," Ren Hao said with a chuckle.

Then the four stepped forward simultaneously, walking side by side.

Though this white jade path was quite wide, it wasn't long for them, and they soon reached its end.

This was a square atop a mountain, about a thousand zhang in size, paved with white jade bricks. In the center stood a black-blue stone statue over a hundred zhang tall, unmistakably that same big-headed boy.

This statue was undamaged, standing silently as if it had endured ages immemorial.

The four glanced at the statue, then quickly averted their eyes to look at the front of the square.

There, five smaller white jade paths extended onward, each heading in a different direction, winding and disappearing into the white mist ahead.

Beside each path stood a blue jade tablet over one zhang tall, inscribed with five place names: Disciple Flat, Three Waters Pagoda, Five Spirits Pavilion, Heaven Bearing Hall, and Heavenly Medicine Valley.

Seeing this, the four wore varied expressions.

Han Li looked at the five names, his eyes flickering.

Judging by the names, Disciple Flat and Heavenly Medicine Valley were easy to guess—they should be the cave dwellings of the disciples of the Water Extension Palace lineage of the True Word Sect, and a place for storing spirit herbs and pills. But the names Three Waters Pagoda, Five Spirits Pavilion, and Heaven Bearing Hall were too vague to guess the specifics.

Ren Hao, Feng Qingyuan, and Feng Lin also scrutinized the five paths, their expressions shifting uncertainly.

"The paths diverge ahead. It seems we'll have to go our separate ways. Which path does each of you wish to choose?" Ren Hao said, composing himself.

Han Li cast a glance at the second path, marked with Three Waters Pagoda.

He could sense that the fluctuation of time law came from there.

Just as he was about to speak, Ren Hao suddenly said, "I'll take this path. I cultivate a water-attribute technique, so I'll go with consistency and head to this Three Waters Pagoda."

Han Li's eyelids twitched at this, but he quickly recovered.

"I'd like to visit Heavenly Medicine Valley, hoping to pick a few suitable spirit herbs," said Feng Lin, casually tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"In that case, I'll choose Heaven Bearing Hall. The name is promising; I hope to find something," said Feng Qingyuan, already walking toward the fourth path.

Han Li said nothing, silently walking to the third path, marked with Five Spirits Pavilion.

"Since everyone has chosen, let's part ways again. May we all find something," Ren Hao said with a long laugh, stepping onto the second path and striding forward, his figure soon vanishing into the mist ahead.

Han Li and the other two each stepped onto their chosen paths, their figures quickly disappearing.

The white jade square soon fell silent.

A moment later, a green shadow shot back from the third path, landing on the square, revealing Han Li's figure.

He glanced left and right, then with a light tap of his foot, he transformed into a blurry green shadow again, silently darting toward the path marked "Three Waters Pagoda."

Shortly after Han Li disappeared, a figure appeared on the fourth path—it was Feng Qingyuan.

Without any hesitation, he also stepped onto the second path, his figure soon vanishing.

Just as Feng Qingyuan's figure disappeared, a purple flash appeared, and Feng Lin's figure emerged on the white jade square.

Her beautiful eyes flickered, and she too stepped onto the second path.

Han Li concealed all his aura, following the path inward. Soon the terrain opened up, and a thousand zhang ahead, a huge three-story pagoda-shaped palace appeared.

Its bottom floor was octagonal, built of large square blue bricks engraved with fine runes. A three-zhang-tall arched gate faced him.

Han Li swept his gaze around, finding no trace of Ren Hao or any other anomalies. He then flashed forward several times, rushing ahead.

Approaching the arched gate, he saw the dark hall door open inward. The eyes of two ring-holding beast statues on the door were shattered, as if the original restrictions had been broken.

He didn't enter hastily but stood at the entrance, peering inside. He only saw a faint mist within, seemingly thin but obscuring the view.

After a moment's thought, Han Li stepped across the threshold into the hall.

Once inside, he frowned, feeling the blue mist suddenly thicken severalfold, and a pungent odor filled the air.

Then, a burning heat came from under his feet.

Han Li looked down and was startled.

Unbeknownst to him, his feet were now in a sea of crimson fire. The blazing flames had just ignited his boots and robe, emitting thick black smoke—the source of the pungent smell.

"Another illusion..." Han Li frowned slightly, and with a thought, he silently activated the Art of Refining the Spirit.

The next moment, a gentle breeze seemed to sweep through his sea of consciousness, restoring clarity and purity.

At the same time, the flames on his body rapidly receded, the fire shrank quickly, and finally dissipated into specks of light, leaving only the blue mist still lingering.

A purple light flashed in Han Li's eyes as he activated his Netherworld Pupils, quickly scanning the surroundings.

The interior of the hall, previously obscured by the blue mist, was now fully revealed before him.

The vast hall was a scene of devastation, littered with collapsed stone pillars and wooden debris. The ground was pitted and blackened, covered with dried, congealed blood.

A layer of withered corpses nearly covered the entire hall, each one horrifically mutilated, their forms pitiful.

From the not-yet-fully-decayed robes, Han Li could tell that among these were both disciples of the True Word Sect and members of the Celestial Court, clearly having endured a brutal battle.

Among the densely piled corpses were also many blue humanoid puppets, most shattered into pieces, completely devoid of spiritual energy.

The palace still had many partition walls. Han Li searched inward along the layout, finding the walls scarred, covered with black bloodstains and broken bones, with huge cracks deep into the walls, shocking to behold.

In the deepest hall, Han Li saw a huge white jade staircase winding up to the second floor.

A broad-bladed greatsword was still stuck in the stairs, its surface heavily corroded, now no different from ordinary iron.

Around the greatsword, layers of bones were scattered, piled up to a zhang in height.

Han Li's gaze sharpened. After searching the hall among the bones, he found nothing useful and headed toward the staircase.

His figure moved like a ghost, gliding over the bones without making a sound.

At the staircase, he leaped lightly, his toes touching the hilt of the greatsword, and with a flicker, he reached the second floor.

Upon entering the second floor, Han Li felt a piercing bone-chilling cold, and his immortal spiritual power automatically circulated to resist the cold.

He looked around, feeling as if he had entered a new, frozen space.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of blue ice, the stone pillars wrapped in thick ice, the walls and window frames completely encased, and countless icicles hung from the ceiling.

Everything was icy blue, creating an illusion that the second floor was larger than the first, though in reality it was just that the second floor lacked the many partition walls, making it seem more spacious.

But similarly, the second floor was littered with countless corpses of True Word Sect disciples and Celestial Court members, all equally gruesome. However, these corpses seemed to have been of higher cultivation in life, with faint spiritual light still lingering on them, and their faces mostly intact.

Additionally, in some areas near the walls, Han Li saw many huge demon beast corpses, but most were severely damaged, with shattered skulls and scattered bones, making it hard to identify their original forms.

The density of baleful qi around these corpses, whether human or beast, far exceeded that on the first floor.

Han Li walked slowly through the second floor, passing by the corpses expressionlessly, heading toward the frozen staircase at the deepest part.

After walking several dozen zhang, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked down.

The mirror-smooth icy ground was empty, only reflecting his own figure.

"I clearly sensed a trace of unusual aura just now..." Han Li's face showed a hint of confusion.

Just then, his brows suddenly rose. He noticed that the reflection in the ice below him suddenly stretched its mouth into an abnormally wide grin, revealing a sinister smile.

Almost at the same time, his hand twisted, and a Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword appeared in his grip, its blade pointing straight at the reflection below. The sword's aura surged threefold, stabbing down heavily.

But the reflection below slid forward like a fish, its seemingly illusory body evading the sword's edge, then burst out from the ice directly in front of Han Li. Its body turned from virtual to solid, and its hands joined together, thrusting straight at Han Li's chest.